Rude Awakening
by UguuGao
Summary: When a young girl who has always tried to keep everything in line for everyone else reaches her wits end...  Wordy-centric, connected to my previous story, Not a Nothing...:
1. Chapter 1

Rude Awakening

CHAPTER ONE.

Okay, okay. I know I still haven't finished my other story (Not a Nothing) yet and I know I really should do that first. Don't worry. I'm not abandoning it; I can't since this one is kind of connected to it. (I suggest reading it first) It's just…well, this idea came to mind and once it did, I couldn't stop writing…I'd like to know what you guys think? I promise my next update will be of Not a Nothing, I haven't forgotten about it.

By now you know the drill. No I don't own it. Yeah I wish I did.

_That was the last straw. How could her mom go that far? She shook her head and wiped her bloodshot eyes with the back of her bare hand. It was a cloudy fall morning with temperatures below zero and there she was, running down the street and away from the horrible scene replaying in her head. Destination: unknown. _

_The delusions had past the line of no return. The warm, loving person she had grown up calling mommy had morphed into a murderer, changed beyond recognition. In the basement she stood, cleaver in hand…blood, everywhere…dripping off the end of the weapon that had been used to take her father's life… It was like in a movie or a really bad dream but inexplicably worse. All her life she had tried to keep everything in line for this defunct family and now it was unravelling in her hands. Every day she stretched the truth in her head to make things seem somewhat okay but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to let this one go. _

_She ran and ran with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Running away from that gory image imprinted in her mind, running…running…just like her dad had been running away from his responsibilities as a family man ever since she was born. She knew that wasn't reason enough to kill him. Now he would never run again. Her bare feet made a slapping noise against the chilly cement sidewalk. It was the noise of someone slapping her, trying to knock some sense into her. Running away wouldn't fix anything and she knew it. She had wanted to many times before but she resisted…for the sake of her two little sisters…well this will certainly be a rude awakening for them…probably worse than it had been for her. Slap, slap, slap. A rude awakening and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to sleep again. No matter. No time to feel guilty about leaving. She ignored the slapping sound of her feet; she couldn't slow down to make it stop. She needed to keep going. Destination: anywhere, someplace warm._

_But where could she stop? What kind of Torontonian in their right mind would let a scruffy haired teenager with morning breath, wearing Laurier uniform top and a pyjama pants into their home this early in the morning? Sure it was the school where all the rich kids went but they didn't have the greatest reputation. She barely knew anyone in the neighbourhood; everyone knew crazy people lived at her place: 6006 Slovester Drive. What they didn't know was that there was one sane person behind those walls: her. Well, before she felt that way. That she was the only person in her family who didn't have some kind of un-diagnosed OCD or saw people following her or thought that everyone was out to get her. But now it was leeching into her brain, contaminating her thoughts and she couldn't help looking over her shoulder at the licence plates of cars that slowed down to stare. She was on a busier street now and would be easier for someone to follow her, hide in the morning rush hour traffic. What if? _

_She began to sprint, but it was short lived, lungs bursting she collapsed into the shallow ditch. She rolled over onto her back and gazed up at the sky. To the east, the sun was rising, its rays piercing through the clouds like light shining down from heaven. How ironic. Everything was going to go downhill from here, she thought. There's no rest for those on the run…she guessed. Her stomach growled angrily and she thought to herself: Destination: some place with food._

**Half an hour earlier…**

The team had been on night shift. A gas station robbery had taken place but the containment had been almost instantaneous. It was quiet when they got back to headquarters at 5:30 AM but when they walked in, the halls filled with the boisterous chatter, like when kids come back in from recess. Passing by Winnie's desk, Spike heard her call out, "Had one double-double too many, eh?" He paused from his hysterical laughter to reply, "Nawww, maybe an extra, uhh, five…plus a doughnut!" He hadn't said anything particularly funny, but off he went again. You couldn't help but smile. His laugh was infectious and he had everyone awake and chuckling. But there was one team member who seemed totally out of it.

Wordy trailed behind the rest of them. It was his first day back after the three days of leave he had taken after the last call due to Allie being sick with an ear infection. His wife needed help since all three girls were home for the March break. His head in the clouds while his feet were on the ground trying to keep him down; he could hear the sounds of his team members talking but it was like they were talking underwater. Everything was muffled and all his thoughts were clouded with worry. The family, the mortgage, the job, his health…he was transported back in time to the last call. The night before, Allie had been up crying all night because of the pain in her ear. And just as things had started to look up, the previous week, he had gotten decent amounts of sleep. His little girl was growing up but she was still, well, little. And then he dropped the stupid cursed infra-red screen… He thought about how much worse it could get, that sick feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away. It stayed and weighed him down, forcing him to think about the future. A future where he wouldn't be able to care for his family, pay his mortgage or do his job. What if the-he couldn't bear to think the word-tremors…got worse? Next, he might pull the trigger of his gun without meaning to or lose control of his car…and then he wouldn't be able to hold his girls without-he shuddered-dropping them or something. Bye-bye independence but that was the least of his worries…

Greg brought him back to the present, last one from the van, and tapped him on the shoulder…

"Hey, you okay?"

"Uhh, yeah, everything's good." Wordy plastered on the best smile he could muster, he wasn't in the mood for talking at the moment, even though he knew Greg meant well.

"Oh, really…" Greg said skeptically, "Well, I'm not so sure. You wanna talk?"

"Really, I'm fine boss. Just can't wait to get home. Have a good night-err, day's sleep." At this, he yawned.

"Been a tiring first night back, eh? I didn't think it was that bad, hmm? Everyone went home safe." Greg remarked. He wasn't going to let his best entry man rest easy until he spit out the truth. And Wordy knew it. He wasn't up to this game of evasion, but then, saved by the bell, just like being a kid again…

"Team one, suit up; hot call! A girl identifying herself as Lexi Dallie says she awoke to her little sister crying. Says she couldn't find her mother and that there was an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway. She went to check the basement and found bloody footsteps all over the stairs." Winnie took a breath to continue but Greg stopped her.

"Thanks Winnie, feed us the rest on the fly."

She nodded, then shook her head in apology to the team who remerged from the locker room in full tactical gear.

"Sorry guys, the other teams are either off duty or held up." She could see they were longing to go home, especially Wordy.

"Guess I wasn't exactly saved by the bell…"he thought to himself as he headed back the way they had come. As he opened the door to the garage, he heard Spike's voice boom, "Awww, that's alright Winnie, just make sure there are coffees waiting for our return!" The door swung closed, muffling out the laughter. How'd he always stay so positive?

_She lay there staring at the light for quite a while, trying to sort things out. She hoped no one would pass by and see her, yet at the same time she did. Someone who would care enough to help her up, dust her off and ask her if she needed help. But who would bother. "These days, nobody cares…" she muttered. She was jarred from her thoughts by an alarm going off, the piercing beep! beep! beep! that reminded her to check her glucose levels. She had type two diabetes and she constantly had to perform the daily ritual of pricking her finger. She hated it, any kind of needles for that matter. But she was slowly getting used to it, she had to. And then it struck her; how was she going to check it without her test kit? And even worse, how could she refill her insulin pump without her bag containing all the things her life depended on? How long could she last with what was left right now? She was supposed to fill it every other day around lunch time so that meant…_

"_Oh shiiit." she whispered. Having only been diagnosed a month ago she was new to this whole thing but she remembered the doctor's warning clear as a bell…_

"_Always keep extra batteries, extra insulin vials, an extra infusion set and a couple of empty syringes just in case. Worse-case scenario you could end up with DKA, but that would take 24 hours to start taking effect so I wouldn't worry about it, don't let this take over your life…"_

_First reaction: what in the world is DKA…_

_Second reaction: fear. Uhh, did she really want to die today? Smart one, to forget to refill the pump yesterday…not her fault…things had been quite crazy…_

_Third reaction: well, one thing's for sure, no way she was going back home…_

_She jolted upright realizing she was wasting precious time here. No looking back, just moving forward: Destination: …_

Sorry most of this is in italics, hope it wasn't hard to read or anything…

I am not diabetic, all that stuff was off the internet and it might be inaccurate, feel free to correct me. Anytime.

I'm working on Not a Nothing right at this very moment so keep your socks on. Next update, I'm sorry to say, maybe…at the very latest, the end of Easter weekend. I know I'm horrible. Oh well, you're just going to have to wait to see what happens next in both of my stories…


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO.

Jeezz, when I started writing these things, I thought I'd be able to update more often than this, sorry! I guess I'm busier than I thought lol. Give me a shout out; I know you're out there! I do watch my reader traffic you know. If I owned Flashpoint I'd be typing on a fancy-shmancy MacBook but alas. I don't. *sigh*. LOL.

Wordy hopped into the driver seat of the black SUV. Moments later, Spike joined him, going a mile a minute.

"You ready for this extra-long shift buddy? I sure am! You look beat man, need another coffee?" He smiled that genuine smile of his and shut the door behind him with more force than intended. Not even this could jar Wordy from his thoughts.

He just kept starring forwards. Pressing on the gas pedal with a bit more force, he couldn't help thinking he was just stuck in reverse. Going backwards instead of forwards. His marksmanship should be improving with time not declining. He shouldn't need the rookie to cover for him. It was completely unnecessary for Sam to have said the infra-red malfunctioned. At the very least he should be able to own up for what he did… Re-thinking his thoughts, he corrected himself: Sam was definitely not a rookie anymore; he had certainly grown these past few years. His career was flourishing, and his well…life sucked, simply put.

When Wordy didn't respond right away, Spike realized something was off. Observing his friend he noticed he looked extremely exhausted. This was to be expected, with his girls and all. But it seemed worse than it should have been. His eyes were downcast when he was supposed to be focused on the road. He usually was, always on top of things especially when it came to the road. He'd never want to get in an accident with his kids in the back seat so he was a forever careful driver. Today was different. He could just feel it in his bones. He could also feel the car going faster, faster, faster…

"Wordy!" exclaimed Spike, as it seemed like his buddy was about to fall asleep at the wheel. He jolted upright, vision clearing as he blinked back the tears. Spike for once this morning, was speechless. These guys were tough as nails. They were the elite of the elite. It seemed un-natural for them to cry. Wordy was thinking the same thing. It was going to be a long drive. And a quiet one at that. He would give Wordy some space for now.

Back at the house, Lexi was on the phone with the 911 operator, who calmly told her to get her sister and go hide. At that very moment, she heard the sound of socked feet padding down the stairs and down the hall to the living room where she stood. It was Kim, her 6 year old sister.

"Who's on the phone?" she asked innocently, not upset about whatever she was crying about 5 minutes ago.

"It's the lady from 911," she muttered, hardly pausing between words, "Kim we have to go hide now."

Kim knew something was up because of the authorizing tone she had taken on.

"But Lexi, why, are we in trouble? And why did the lady from 911 call us?"

"Shush Kimmy! Just listen to me okay?" Lexi grabbed her sister's hand and scanned the room for hiding spots. Maybe it was because she couldn't think straight this early in the morning or because Kim kept pestering her…she couldn't think straight in situations like these. She was the kind of person who panicked easily.

"Oh forget it, let's go upstairs, quick!"

The 911 operator's voice came through the ear piece of the phone in Lexi's hand. Nobody heard it though, there was an unbearable piecing cry coming from the basement followed by the shrill screams of the two little girls.

"What's that? Lexi, what was it? It sounded like mommy!"

"Oh my gosh, let's get out of here now!" shouted Lexi, her voice trembling as was her whole body. She was heading back downstairs towards the door before she knew it.

"But Lexiiii!" whined Kim, "What about mommy and Sasha?"

"Sasha left for school early, I heard her leave, and mom is probably DEAD. So let's go NOW!"

"Nooooo!" Kim cried, pulling away from Lexi who had a tight grip on her hand.

"Mommy's not dead!" She then ran down the stairs and threw the basement door open only to see the same horrid scene both her sisters had awoken to moments before. Slamming it shut, she made a run for the stairs. Lexi grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the door murmuring, "I told you so." Being the little girl she was, she used the first move of self-defence that came to mind.

"Owowowowow! Kimmy! Why did you bite me?" yelled Lexi.

"I want to go back for Sasha!" she growled.

"I told you she LEFT." Lexi growled back.

"NO." With one kick to the stomach she was free and Lexi was rolling and groaning on the floor.

Kim stormed up the stairs and turned the corner into the bathroom, franticly seeking Sasha.

"Sasha, let's go find mommy and get out of here, can't you hear the screaming?"

After raiding the upper level of the house she sat down, distraught and eyes full of tears. She yelled Sasha's name over and over. Lexi stood by the door, unsure of what to do. She sure hated being in this situation and wanted to leave ASAP but not without Kimmy… There were more screams coming from the basement. That plus Kim howling was adding to the major headache she already had.

"Kimmy let's go, do you see now? She's safe somewhere else. We need to go!"

Lexi took the stairs two at a time and lead the sniffling little girl to the top of the stairs. Once there, screams were replaced by thumping feet coming up the stairs. The girls' hearts stopped and they dashed for the door but Kim, who was wearing socks, slipped on the hardwood floor. Her big sister turned only to see the basement door open and her mother emerged holding a bloody knife. Kim got up and followed the gaze of her sister's eyes to the same scene. She gasped and ran to Lexi, wrapping her arms around her.

"Why do you look so scared…oh." said their mother whose name was Lauren. She looked down at the weapon and realized why her children were a pale as the snow. It dropped with a clatter and a small spray of red. Still, the two girls did not move.

"No time to just stand around! Come, come, the police are going to come and take you away but I'm not going to let that happen. Never." she said seriously. "Now, come." As she lead them upstairs she spoke more, "It may be hard to understand now but we have to leave before the police come. Pack some clothes okay? I'll go get Sasha.

Kim called out to explain to her mom but she had already realized and was cursing her head off. Once she was done, she called for her kids.

"Guys where's Sasha? They must've taken her! They took her and didn't even let her stop to get her blood glucose stuff!" she raged, throwing the bag of bottles and needles across Sasha's bedroom. "The bastards, they're already here! Quick, you guys hide, I'll go barricade the doors with something. We'll escape out the back. Don't worry; I'll be back for you soon." She hurried down the stairs and began placing heavy objects against the doors.

Lexi and Kim were both in complete and utter shock, not even hearing their mother continuing on about 'the bastards'. Creeping into the bedroom, they peeked through the blinds to see police cars and ambulances right in front of their house. It took a while for Lexi to realize they had come to rescue them, not somebody else, just like she was the one in a movie or something. Down below, Wordy had just exited the van and looked up at them. He wasn't sure if he had seen something or not. It looked like a pair of eyes looking down through the window. He rubbed his eyes and they were gone. Huh. Spike came around to his side of the van and asked what was up. Wordy shook his head.

Meanwhile, the telephone lay on the floor, having been dropped by Lexi in all the commotion. The 911 operator still calling out for an answer, "Hello? Hello Lexi are you still there? Answer me…? Are you hurt? Hello…?"

Update of Not A Nothing next, for sure. Please review!

PS. I absolutely CANNOT wait until June 17, you all know what that day is right? :D

PSS. If you guys have Facebook, you should totally check out the Spike contest… yay Spike! 333 ;)


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